Now that the Rams of the NFL are coming to Los Angeles, how will they impact the Clippers’ popularity and fanbase?
The NFL is the most popular sport in the U.S., and Los Angeles has been without a team for 21 years. So, what impact, if any, will it have to the Clippers’ popularity and fanbase now that the Rams have returned?
The metropolitan area is already home to the Lakers, the Kings and Anaheim Ducks of the NHL, the Dodgers and Anaheim Angels of the MLB, and the Galaxy from the MLS, with Los Angeles FC due to play from 2017. With just shy of four million people living in Los Angeles surely there is more than enough seats of sports teams to go around, and one extra team wouldn’t make that great a difference?
Los Angeles has long been seen as a bargaining chip in the NFL for teams threatening to move to the warmer climate, when they need funding for new stadiums. Why would a team want to play in the freezing temperatures that we’ve seen throughout the NFL playoffs, when they could play in much milder surroundings in California?
This move puts an end to that threat for now, although the Oakland Raiders could still return to L.A. at a later date having also moved in 1994.
So why would a team move?
Casting an eye back to the NBA, the Seattle Supersonics relocated to Oklahoma City as the Thunder in the 2008-09 season after they were unable to generate funds from the Washington State government for updating the Key Arena. The good news for the Clippers is that the stadium sharing system with the Lakers since 1999 and a billion dollar owner in Steve Ballmer makes it highly unlikely the team would ever fall into this financial difficulty, particularly having been in L.A. since 1984.
The problem falls down to rising ticket prices which have seen the traditional blue collar workers and more affordable option of the Clippers be alienated by that new ownership. Needless to say, in 2013 the team celebrated 100 consecutive home sell outs, testament to the fandom of the franchise.
Another issue surrounding the Clippers is that the TV deal with Fox Sports comes to an end after this season, with the two sides still far apart in their valuation expectations.
As for the L.A. sports climate, Chivas USA dissolved in 2014, but with Los Angeles FC’s inception, it is likely that the gaining popularity of MLS as one of the most popular sports in the USA is equally concerning. The success of the recent Stanley Cup wins by the Los Angeles Kings may also prevent the possibility of their departure from the city, with a move such as that made by Atlanta Thrashers to the Winnipeg Jets being unlikely.
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The other thing worth noting is that sometimes a city is just not suited to a certain sport. Take Vancouver, for example. The Grizzlies played there from 1995-2001, and after a distinct lack of success, they moved to Memphis where they remain to this day. The Vancouver Canucks continues to be the mainstay in the city to this day. Likewise, Memphis was home to an NFL team, one with poor attendance, so they moved the then Oilers to Nashville and renamed them the Tennessee Titans, winning the NFL title in 1999, just a season after this relocation. This would suggest it’s not always right to attribute success to attendance.
Whilst nobody wants to watch a horrible team, the Oilers never finished below .500 in Memphis, so it’s not like they were having to watch the Philadelphia 76ers play for the last three or four years. Memphis just didn’t suit an NFL team.
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The obvious comparison to make for L.A. is that of the city of New York, for whom national television ranks first ahead of L.A. The city is home to around 8.4 million people, with three NHL teams, two NBA, two MLS and two NFL teams, it makes an interesting direct contrast.
The only team that really seems under any great jeopardy in New York is the Brooklyn Nets, who having traded away their future to the Celtics going all in to win a title with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, appeared to have mortgaged their fandom until someone can fix the mess. The NHL attendances could be better too but with all three teams in current playoff seeding, that could improve later in the year.
Perhaps teams are just running out of fans, an article posted on 24/7 Wall Street may lend evidence to, but the encouraging sign for the Clippers at least is that dwindling attendances seem to be of biggest threat to teams from the MLB. In that category the Dodgers have the highest average attendance in the league, and the Anaheim Angels 5th. Likewise, the Lakers and Clippers are 10th and 11th in the NBA.
For now, the future of sports teams in L.A. looks healthy. Although, it will be worth revisiting and crunching the numbers again this time next year, once the NFL regular season is over and we can truly understand how the attendance improves both for the Rams (who are last in the NFL currently) and if the attendance of the Clippers dips.
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And let’s remember of course, only eight home games for the Rams vs. 41 for the Clippers and Lakers. One more team in L.A. should not be an issue, just keep an eye on that Sunday afternoon attendance.